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Forest animals

Forest and woodland animals, not counting tropical rainforest, which has its own list. Bears, deer, badgers and wolves live here, along with woodpeckers, owls, flying squirrels and many of the monkeys.

Habitats come from each animal's reviewed sources. An animal can have several, so many of these also appear on other habitat lists.

160 animals, A to Z.

• 🐾AardvarkA burrowing, nocturnal African mammal that digs out ants and termites with powerful claws and collects them with a long, sticky tongue.
• 🐾AgoutiRodents related to guinea pigs but larger and longer-legged, living in forests and wooded areas of Central and South America.
• 🐜AntSocial insects living in colonies of a queen, workers and males, with more than 13,800 species described of an estimated 22,000.
• 🐜AnteaterFour species of toothless mammals that eat ants and termites, related to sloths: the giant anteater, the silky anteater and two tamanduas.
• 🐾ApeThe tailless primates of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: the gibbons, or lesser apes, and the great apes, which are the orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and, scientifically, humans.
• 🦫ArmadilloTwenty-one species of American mammals with a leathery, armoured shell and long digging claws.
• 🐾Aye-ayeA lemur of Madagascar and the world’s largest nocturnal primate, with rodent-like teeth that never stop growing and a thin, bony middle finger.
• 🐒BaboonSix species of large, ground-dwelling monkeys with long, dog-like muzzles and powerful jaws.
• 🦡BadgerStocky, short-legged omnivores of the weasel and skunk families.
• 🐾BandicootMore than 20 species of small, mostly nocturnal marsupials from Australia and New Guinea, with long pointed snouts, large ears and strong hind legs.
• 🦇BatThe only mammals capable of true, sustained flight, on wings of skin stretched over long fingers.
• 🦫BeaverLarge semiaquatic rodents, the second-largest living rodents after capybaras.
• 🐝BeeFlying insects that feed on nectar and pollen, with over 20,000 species.
• 🪲BeetleInsects whose front wings are hardened into wing-cases.
• 🦬BisonTwo species of huge, shaggy wild cattle: the American bison, often called buffalo, and the European bison, or wisent.
• 🐻Black bearThe smallest and most widespread bear in North America, mostly living in forests.
• 🐆Black pantherNot a species: a black panther is a black (melanistic) leopard or jaguar.
• 🐾BlackbirdThe common blackbird, a thrush of woods and gardens.
• 🐍Boa constrictorA large, heavy-bodied, non-venomous snake of tropical America, and a staple of pet collections.
• 🐆BobcatA medium-sized North American wild cat with tufted ears and the short, "bobbed" tail that gives it its name.
• 🐾BongoA large, mostly nocturnal forest antelope of sub-Saharan Africa with a chestnut coat, 10–15 thin white stripes and heavy spiral horns on both sexes.
• 🐻Brown bearA huge, mostly plant-eating bear of northern forests, mountains and tundra, and one of the largest land carnivores alive.
• 🐃BuffaloA large, heavily built wild cow of sub-Saharan Africa.
• 🐾BushbabySmall nocturnal primates of sub-Saharan Africa, with big eyes, sharp hearing, bat-like ears and long tails for balance.
• 🦋ButterflyWinged insects with large, often brightly coloured wings, around 18,500 species in all.
• 🦅BuzzardThe common buzzard is a medium-sized bird of prey found across most of Europe and east into Asia, and probably the most common daytime raptor in Europe.
• 🐒Capuchin monkeyClever New World monkeys famous for their foraging skills, including using stones to crack open nuts.
• 🐾CapybaraThe largest living rodent, a semiaquatic grazer found in every South American country except Chile.
• 🐆CaracalA slender, long-legged wild cat with a reddish-tan coat and long black ear tufts; its name comes from the Turkish for "black ear".
• 🦎ChameleonAbout 200 species of Old World lizard with independently moving eyes, a projectile tongue and gripping feet and tail.
• 🐾ChamoisA small, nimble goat-antelope of the rugged mountains of Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus.
• 🐒ChimpanzeeA great ape of the forests and savannas of equatorial Africa and, with the bonobo, humanity’s closest living relative.
• 🐿️ChipmunkSmall, striped burrowing squirrels of North America, plus the Siberian chipmunk of Asia.
• 🐾CicadaMore than 3,000 species of sap-sucking bugs with wide-set eyes and clear wings, living in trees in temperate and tropical places worldwide.
• 🐆Clouded leopardA medium-sized wild cat of Asian forests, named for the large cloud-like blotches on its grey or ochre coat.
• 🐍CobraVenomous snakes that rear up and spread a hood when threatened.
• 🪳CockroachAbout 4,600 species of flat-bodied insects, only about 30 of which live around people.
• 🐍CopperheadA heavy-bodied pit viper of the eastern United States, camouflaged by dark hourglass bands on a copper to brown background.
• 🐈CougarA large, plain-coated cat of the Americas, also called puma, mountain lion and panther.
• 🐺CoyoteA North American wild dog, smaller than its close relative the grey wolf.
• 🐦‍⬛CrowBlack birds of the genus Corvus, which includes the ravens.
• 🦌DeerHoofed plant-eaters whose males, in almost every species, grow and shed a new set of bony antlers every year.
• 🐾DholeA wild dog of South, East and Southeast Asia and the only member of its genus.
• 🐕DingoA lean, hardy wild dog of Australia, ginger, black-and-tan or creamy white.
• 🐾DormouseAbout 28 species of small, nocturnal, tree-climbing rodents from Africa, Asia and Europe.
• 🦅EagleLarge birds of prey with huge hooked beaks and powerful talons.
• 🐘ElephantThree living species, the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant, and the largest land animals alive.
• 🦌ElkThe second-largest deer after the moose, native to North America and Central and East Asia.
• 🐾EmuA flightless bird found only in Australia, the country’s tallest native bird and the third-tallest living bird after the two ostriches.
• 🪰FlyInsects with a single pair of wings; the hind pair became small balancing organs.
• 🐿️Flying squirrelAbout 50 species of squirrels that glide between trees on a furred membrane stretching from wrist to ankle, steering with their limbs and tail.
• 🐾FossaThe largest mammalian carnivore on Madagascar: a slender, cat-like hunter with a tail nearly as long as its body.
• 🦇Fruit batAbout 197 species of megabats, including the flying foxes, the family with the largest bats.
• 🦎GeckoNearly 2,000 species of small, mostly nocturnal lizards, the most species-rich lizard group.
• 🐾GenetSeventeen species of slender, cat-like carnivores with spotted fur, a dark stripe down the spine and a ringed tail almost as long as the body.
• 🦧GibbonThe lesser apes: about 20 species of tailless apes of Asian forests.
• 🦍GorillaThe largest living primates: great apes of the tropical forests of equatorial Africa, living in troops led by a silverback male.
• 🐍Grass snakeA non-venomous, semi-aquatic Eurasian snake, usually dark green or brown with a yellow or white collar behind the head.
• 🐻Grizzly bearThe North American brown bear, a population or subspecies of the brown bear.
• 🐾GroundhogA large ground squirrel, also called the woodchuck, and the only lowland marmot.
• 🐾GrouseCompact, heavily built game birds of the Northern Hemisphere, from arctic tundra to pine forest, moorland and mountains.
• 🦅HawkBirds of prey of the eagle family, found on every continent except Antarctica.
• 🦔HedgehogSmall, spiny insect-eaters of Europe, Asia and Africa that roll into a tight ball when threatened.
• 🐾HornbillA family of birds of tropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia with a long, down-curved, often colourful bill, sometimes topped by a hollow casque.
• 🐒Howler monkeyFifteen species of large New World monkeys, the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics.
• 🐦HummingbirdThe smallest birds, about 375 species native to the Americas.
• 🐾IbisTwenty-nine species of long-legged wading birds with long, down-curved bills, which they use to probe mud for food, usually in groups.
• 🦎IguanaLarge plant-eating lizards of tropical America, with a dewlap and a crest of long scales down the back.
• 🐾ImpalaA medium-sized antelope of eastern and southern Africa with a glossy reddish-brown coat.
• 🐾JackdawThe western jackdaw, a small, gregarious member of the crow family, black with a grey nape and striking pale eyes.
• 🐆JaguarThe biggest cat in the Americas and the only one of the roaring big cats native there.
• 🐾KakapoA large, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot found only in New Zealand, with mottled moss-green feathers and an owl-like face.
• 🐾KatydidMore than 8,000 species of long-horned relatives of grasshoppers, also called bush crickets.
• 🐾KeaA large olive-green parrot of the forests and mountains of New Zealand's South Island, with bright orange under its wings.
• 🐾Kingfisher118 species of small to medium, brightly coloured birds with large heads and long, sharp bills.
• 🐾KiwiFive species of flightless bird found only in New Zealand, about the size of a chicken and the smallest ratites.
• 🐨KoalaA tree-dwelling marsupial of eastern and southern Australia, and not a bear.
• 🦎Komodo dragonThe largest living lizard, a monitor lizard found only on a few Indonesian islands.
• 🐾KookaburraFive species of large tree kingfishers from Australia and New Guinea that rarely eat fish.
• 🐾KuduThe greater kudu, a tall woodland antelope of eastern and southern Africa with 4–12 thin white stripes on its sides.
• 🐞LadybirdOver 6,000 species of small, domed beetles, often red with black spots that warn predators they taste bad.
• 🦧LemurThe ring-tailed lemur is the best-known lemur, with a long black-and-white ringed tail.
• 🐆LeopardThe most widespread wild cat, a spotted, secretive hunter that survives almost anywhere with cover: rainforest, savanna, mountains and semi-desert across Africa and Asia.
• 🦎LizardScaly reptiles, usually with four legs, with over 7,000 species.
• 🐆LynxFour species of medium-sized wild cat, the Canada, Eurasian and Iberian lynx and the bobcat, with black ear tufts, a short tail and big padded paws for walking on snow.
• 🐾LyrebirdTwo species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, famous for mimicking sounds around them and for the male’s huge, lyre-shaped tail, fanned out in courtship.
• 🐒MacaqueA genus of 23 species of sturdy, social monkeys.
• 🦜MacawLarge, long-tailed and often colourful New World parrots in six genera.
• 🐾MagpieThe Eurasian magpie is a black-and-white member of the crow family found across northern Europe and Asia, and one of the most intelligent birds.
• 🐍MambaFour species of fast, highly venomous African snakes in the cobra family.
• 🐾MarkhorA large wild goat of the mountains of Central and South Asia.
• 🐒MarmosetTwenty-two species of tiny New World monkeys, most about 20 cm long.
• 🐾MockingbirdAbout 17 species of New World songbirds, known for loudly copying other birds, insects and frogs.
• 🦡MoleSmall burrowing mammals with velvety fur, tiny eyes and ears, and big, powerful front paws for digging.
• 🐾MongooseSmall carnivores of Africa, Asia and southern Europe, 34 species in two subfamilies.
• 🐵MonkeyPrimates of the Americas, Africa and Asia, split into New World and Old World monkeys.
• 🫎MooseThe tallest, largest and heaviest living deer, known as “elk” in British English.
• 🦟MosquitoAbout 3,600 species of small flies.
• 🦋MothThe vast majority of the insect order that also includes butterflies, with about 160,000 species.
• 🦌MuntjacFourteen species of small deer from South and Southeast Asia, also called barking deer.
• 🦎NewtOver 100 species of semiaquatic salamanders in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia.
• 🐾NightingaleThe common nightingale, a plain brown bird with a reddish tail, famous for one of the most beautiful songs in nature.
• 🐾NuthatchSmall birds with big heads, short tails and strong bills and feet, mostly blue-grey above with a black eye stripe.
• 🐾NyalaA shy, spiral-horned antelope of southeast Africa, and the most sexually dimorphic antelope: males are slate grey with a shaggy fringe and horns, while females are small, hornless and rusty brown with white stripes.
• 🐆OcelotA medium-sized spotted wild cat of the Americas and the largest member of its genus.
• 🐀OpossumThe largest group of marsupials in the Americas, 126 species.
• 🦉OwlMore than 200 species of mostly solitary, nocturnal birds of prey, with an upright stance, a broad head, forward-facing eyes and feathers adapted for near-silent flight.
• 🐼PandaA black-and-white bear found only in the mountains of central China.
• 🦔PangolinScale-covered, ant-eating mammals of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, also called scaly anteaters.
• 🦜ParrotAbout 410 species of intelligent, mostly tropical birds with strong curved beaks and grasping feet.
• 🐾PartridgeMedium-sized, ground-dwelling game birds, between quail and pheasants in size, mostly grey and brown.
• 🦚PeacockPeafowl are three species of pheasant: the Indian and green peafowl of Asia and the Congo peafowl of Central Africa.
• 🐾PheasantThe common pheasant is a game bird native to Asia and the far south-east of Europe, introduced widely elsewhere for shooting.
• 🦔PorcupineLarge rodents covered in sharp quills.
• 🦗Praying mantisOver 2,400 species of predatory insects with big, grasping front legs held folded as if praying.
• 🐍PythonA family of 39 non-venomous snakes of Africa, Asia and Australia, including some of the largest snakes in the world.
• 🐾QuokkaA cat-sized relative of kangaroos and wallabies from southwestern Australia.
• 🐾QuollSix species of spotted carnivorous marsupials from Australia and New Guinea, also once called native cats.
• 🦝RaccoonA North American omnivore with dexterous front paws, a black face mask and a ringed tail.
• 🐍RattlesnakeThirty-six species of venomous pit vipers of the Americas, named for the rattle of interlocking keratin segments at the tail tip.
• 🐾RavenThe common raven is a big, all-black crow, the heaviest songbird, found across the Northern Hemisphere.
• 🦊Red foxThe familiar orange fox of the northern hemisphere and the most widespread wild carnivore on Earth.
• 🐾Red pandaA small, reddish-brown tree-climber of the eastern Himalayas and south-western China, with a ringed tail.
• 🦌ReindeerA deer of the Arctic and subarctic, called caribou in North America.
• 🐦RobinThe European robin is a small insect-eating songbird with an orange-red breast and face, found across Europe to Western Siberia and North Africa.
• 🦎SalamanderTailed amphibians with slender, lizard-like bodies and moist skin, which keeps them near water or damp places.
• 🦂ScorpionArachnids with eight legs, grasping pincers and a curved tail ending in a venomous sting.
• 🦨SkunkBlack-and-white New World mammals famous for spraying a foul-smelling liquid from glands under the tail.
• 🐾Slow lorisSlow, quiet nocturnal primates of Southeast Asia with big reflective eyes and stubby tails hidden in their fur.
• 🐾SlugLand gastropods with no shell, or only a tiny internal one.
• 🐌SnailA gastropod with a coiled shell big enough to pull itself into.
• 🐍SnakeLimbless reptiles with more than 4,170 species, found on every continent except Antarctica.
• 🕷️SpiderEight-legged arachnids with fangs that inject venom and spinnerets that make silk.
• 🐿️SquirrelRodents with slender bodies, long bushy tails and large eyes.
• 🐾Stick insectPlant-eating insects camouflaged as sticks or leaves, found on every continent except Antarctica, most of all in the tropics.
• 🐾Sugar gliderA small, nocturnal gliding possum named for its taste for sugary sap and nectar.
• 🐾TakinA stocky, shaggy goat-antelope of the eastern Himalayas, closest to sheep despite its muskox-like looks.
• 🐒TamarinSquirrel-sized New World monkeys in 22 species, many with moustache-like facial hair.
• 🐾TapirLarge, pig-shaped plant-eaters with a short, flexible trunk.
• 🐾TarsierTiny primates of the islands of Southeast Asia with enormous eyes: each eyeball is about 16 mm across and as big as the whole brain.
• 🐾Tasmanian devilA dog-sized carnivorous marsupial, now found only on Tasmania, and the largest carnivorous marsupial since the thylacine died out in 1936.
• 🐾TenrecA family of 31 species found only on Madagascar.
• 🐯TigerThe biggest of the striped cats and a solitary ambush hunter of forests, from Indian mangroves to snowy Russian taiga.
• 🐸ToadA common name for frogs with short legs and dry, warty skin, especially the true toads.
• 🐢TortoiseLand-living turtles with domed shells and column-like, elephant-like legs.
• 🐾ToucanOver 40 species of brightly marked birds of the American tropics with huge, often colourful bills.
• 🦃TurkeyA large North American game bird, the heaviest of the chicken-like birds.
• 🐒Vervet monkeyAn African monkey with a black face and grey body hair, living in groups of 10 to 70.
• 🐍ViperVenomous snakes with long, hinged fangs that fold back against the roof of the mouth when not in use.
• 🦘WallabySmall and medium-sized relatives of the kangaroo.
• 🐝WaspNarrow-waisted insects that are neither bees nor ants, with tens of thousands of species.
• 🐾WeaselSmall, fast predators with long, slender bodies and short legs, in the same genus as stoats, polecats and ferrets.
• 🐗Wild boarThe wild pig of Eurasia and North Africa, now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world after introductions to the Americas and Oceania.
• 🐈WildcatThe European wildcat: bigger and stouter than a house cat, with longer striped fur, a dark stripe along the back and a bushy, black-tipped tail.
• 🐺WolfThe largest wild member of the dog family.
• 🐾WolverineThe largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family, a solitary, muscular carnivore of the far north.
• 🐨WombatShort-legged, muscular marsupials of Australia that dig large burrows with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws.
• 🐾WoodlouseLand-living crustaceans with flat, segmented bodies and seven pairs of legs.
• 🐦WoodpeckerBirds that drill into trees for insects and drum on them to communicate.
• 🪱WormEarthworms are soil-dwelling annelids, among nature’s most important recyclers of dead plant matter.

How each answer is decided: How we answer. Every animal, in one list: All animals.